Comments on: Guest Blog Post: How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writerhttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaFri, 11 Aug 2017 14:46:01 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.1By: Practice makes perfect « Comedy or Tragedy?http://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-21932
Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:21:38 +0000[…] back, Victoria Strauss posted an article by Barbara Baig on the SWFA blog discussing the role of deliberate practice in developing one’s writing […]
]]>By: J. Piercehttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-20924
Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:40:38 +0000I am a novice writer who is just beginning. I have been avoiding advice on how to write, thinking that I should rely first on my own talents, then seek help when that fails me. I realize this is a very newbie attitude, and more experienced writers reading this are already rolling their eyes 🙂 However, in the off chance someone out there may beneift I just wanted to say that I put the above artical to use last night and it was an amazing experience. I am three books into a series. I did the above exercise of writing down strengths and weaknesses and decided that some of my characters need more fleshing out- more depth. I then did an exercise off the author’s website where you write down a list of things that comes into your mind, choose one and then do a freewriting exercise on it. One specific character kept coming up for me. I then spent 10 minutes writing about his hands. The bizarre result of which is that I now understand much more about who he is and he now has far more depth for me. Ahhhh…. that’s what everyone is talking about! Thank you for the amazing advice 🙂
]]>By: Derek Warrenhttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-16685
Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:07:21 +0000I could not agree more! I’m an unpublished fiction writer (head hung in shame), but also a musician. I know something about practice and what is required to achieve a professional level of proficiency. Hard work! But what counts as much as hard work is working on the right things. The fact that I am able to perform professionally is due in large measure to the excellent teachers I have had and the books that have given me direction and focuss while I practice. RE writing, I have a BA in English and have been a writing technical content for 15 years. For past 8 years, I’ve purchased and devoured more than 25 books on writing fiction and have completed a creative writing course through Longridge Writers Group. But what all of those great books lack, and what the writing course only partially offered, are actual creative writing exercises, measurable and focussed techniques that teach me how to master critical skills. And I don’t mean simple writing prompts, no matter how well intentioned they might be (and even useful). All of these books have “writing prompts,” but none of them provide a clear syllabus of of focussed writing exercises that, when truly practiced, not only improve my skill set but also increase my confidence. I can hear Stephen King even now saying that you can’t make a good writer great: either he’s got it or he doesn’t. Mr. King is one of my heroes, and he might be right. But I’ve seen so much evidence to the contrary that I have to respectfully disagree. When will an accomplished team of fiction writers actually produce tangible, focussed exercises that help me make the best use of my practice writing time?
]]>By: The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: October 6, 2010http://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-15356
Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:32:50 +0000[…] How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writer […]
]]>By: Writing on Wednesday « Imagination Run Amokhttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-15348
Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:50:15 +0000[…] How Deliberate Practice can make you an Excellent Writer – I only found this post this morning but it is a gem, especially for aspiring […]
]]>By: Jonathan Vos Posthttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-15311
Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:26:48 +0000Starting 6 July 2010, at the advice of Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, I increased my daily Science Fiction/Fantasy writing quota to 3,000 words per day. That was over 250,000 words ago, in 3 months as of tomorrow.

It’s a little early to see what sales result, but I’ve certainly stacked up several more short stories, novellas, and novelettes on Major Market editors’ desks. And very nearly completed 3 novels (one very Hard SF, which inside experts at MIT consider the definitive Quantum Computing novel to date; one Hard Science Fantasy, with Norbert Wiener in the role of Nero Wolfe in my Paradena world where Magic and Science both work, at the California Institute of Thaumaturgy; and one Historical Fantasy, in the Third and Fourth Crusades, with Fibonacci, Richard Lionheart, Saladin — a Kurd born in the same town as Saddam Hussein, King Conrad, et al. in battles, bedrooms, pirate ships, and dungeons).

After 3,800+ publications, presentations, and broadcasts to my credit, I’ve decided to practice even more, and see what happens.

This was an unusually good column, and should be required reading in Creative Writing courses worldwide. Bravo, Barbara Baig!

]]>By: Quick Updates for 2010-10-05http://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-15299
Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:22:16 +0000[…] Guest Blog Post: How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writer […]
]]>By: Howard Taylerhttp://www.sfwa.org/2010/10/guest-blog-post-how-deliberate-practice-can-make-you-an-excellent-writer/#comment-15236
Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:06:09 +0000Regarding talent: It’s overrated because we insist on believing in it when we can’t predict it, and because it’s an insignificant contributor to success.

Are some writers (or musicians, or athletes) more innately adept than others? Almost certainly. But that inborn aptitude, that “head start” evaporates after a few years of focused, deliberate practice.